Groundwork Jacksonville, part of a public-private partnership with the city of Jacksonville to develop the Emerald Trail, has received the largest single private donation in its 10-year history.
In a July 15 news release, the nonprofit organization announced it had received a $1 million grant from the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Funds in conjunction with the J. Wayne Weaver Fund at The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida.
The donation will fund design of the Emerald Trail Riverside Link, the third of 10 segments of the trail.
The release states that the donation is part of Delores Barr Weaver’s Legacy 2024 grantmaking plan, which included a $61 million contribution to her donor-advised fund at The Community Foundation, the largest in the foundation’s history.
Weaver also contributed $250,000 for the Emerald Trail LaVilla Link, which opened in May.
“Investing in projects like the Emerald Trail ensures that people in the surrounding neighborhoods are included in the quality-of-life benefits that result from this important work,” Weaver said in the release. “For me, it is gratifying to see the entirety of the Riverside area benefit from this Emerald Trail link.”
The 34-mile Emerald Trail is a public/private partnership between the city and nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville, which developed the master plan for the project. Officials are hoping for completion of the project by 2030.
“This grant is a wonderful continuation of the work Mrs. Weaver has done in Riverside including the restoration of the historic John Gorrie High School into residences and her support of the John Gorrie Dog Park which the Emerald Trail Riverside Link will connect to. Her legacy in Jacksonville - and in Riverside - is indelible,” Groundwork Jacksonville CEO Kay Ehas stated in the release.